Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them. – Proverbs 26:12

Today's Scripture Reading (January 10, 2026): Proverbs 26

C. S. Lewis wrote that "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less." He is right. When we are truly humble, we think more often about others than about ourselves. But there is something else we need to understand about humility. When we chase it, it disappears. The moment that we say, "Wow, what a humble person I am," we have lost all humility.

I remember a story about a reporter trying to find out how Mother Teresa felt about receiving the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. The reporter wanted a personal reflection from this Christian Missionary to India who worked with people Jesus might have called "the least of these." But all Mother Teresa wanted to tell the reporter was about the people to whom she ministered. The difference maker in Mother Teresa's life was not some prize, even if it was the highly prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. It was the people, some of whom were the poorest of the poor, that made her life worth living. Finally, an exasperated reporter exclaimed, "But what about you? What does winning the prize mean to you?" Mother Teresa looked at the reporter and replied, "But it's not about me." It is never about me. It has to be about them." I doubt Mother Teresa would have thought of herself as a humble person, but that is the way humility works. Concentrate on it, and it will disappear. Concentrate on the needs of others, and humility reigns, although you may never know it.

Proverbs warns us that those who are wise in their own eyes are beyond hope. It is not the message that any of us wants to hear. Because most of us think we are wise. That is partly why we find humility so hard to achieve. We want to be recognized for our level of education, our experience, or even just our natural talents. We believe that we are worthy of lofty positions. However, all of these things can sometimes betray us and take away the very things we think we deserve in life.

Most real success in life comes from the question not just of how we can intersect with someone else's need, but of what we can learn from them. However, if we are wise in our own eyes, there is nothing we can learn, because we don't think learning is something we need. We already know what we need to know; as a result of that belief, no one can teach us a thing.

Going back to C. S. Lewis, the secret is not to somehow belittle your own talents, but to recognize that others have talents too. And, just maybe, we can learn from them the things that we need to know, something that those who believe that they are already wise will never be able to do.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Proverbs 27